


Sweet Friend, You Must Trust Me

by theonewithwaytoomanyfandoms



Category: Still Star-Crossed (TV)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Ficlet Collection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2018-11-13 05:29:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11178045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theonewithwaytoomanyfandoms/pseuds/theonewithwaytoomanyfandoms
Summary: A collection of ficlets based on Rosvolio Tumblr prompts.





	1. Swapping Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Rosvolio talking about books in some capacity.

With all of the madness about in Verona as of late, it occurred to Rosaline, newly lady of House Capulet, that there was nothing better to escape the rabble than the pages of her favorite books. Rosaline had been an avid reader since she was a child, as her parents had raised her to be a lady of Verona and thus educated her as such. Even after her father had been killed and her mother dead of grief shortly afterward, Rosaline kept on reading. She was the first to admit that books had a world of their own in order to escape the worst times in her life. This week was no exception. Therefore while the rest of House Capulet seemed to be in utter chaos, Rosaline slipped away from her (Juliet’s actually, and didn’t that just shake her to the core) room and found a quiet garden fountain just away from the city center to settle down and continue reading. 

Today she had chosen an epic Greek tale to take on her respite. Homer’s Odyssey drew Rosaline in with its mythical creatures and gods and goddesses. Yet the thing that intrigued Rosaline the most was Odysseus’ determination to get back to his wife, even after many years of delayed travel. She was nearly done with this epic tale, but was waiting on tenterhooks to see if fair Penelope would recognize Odysseus as her husband after he slayed all of the greedy suitors around his wife. She could not help but to compare the couple’s situation to her own, even if they were nothing alike. She wished for a love as strong as Odysseus’ and Penelope’s, and silently scoffed at herself for ever thinking that this would happen in her present situation. 

Maybe if Escalus-I mean-the Prince- had declared his love before a week ago, I could have a love that strong. Rosaline thought in vain. Yet, after Escalus had showed his true intents and motivations toward her the morning after the royal dinner, she had very little faith left in him. Which left her to think of the other man that had come bursting into her life, Benvolio Montague. 

Benvolio was harder to sort out. Rosaline hated the man, of course, as he was a Montague and the Montagues were unforgivable after what they had done to tear their family apart after her parents died. Although she supposed she really only had Lady Capulet to blame for her and Livia’s fallen status. Animosity of the Montagues still ran strong however, making her less than benevolent toward Benvolio at best. He was not as notoriously rash as Mercutio and Romeo had been, yet he still had a reputation for being a noble Montague cad. Yet he seemed much more open to their proposed union than she had ever been. Just a couple of nights before at the royal dinner, he had approached her and seemed to be almost resigned to the task of a life together, while she had blatantly denied any agreement on her part before Escalus had betrayed her. 

“I know some things about you,” Benvolio had said to her. “Not enough to build a life together, but we’ll get there.” 

From this alone, Rosaline felt a bit ashamed that she was not as willing as he to compromise and save Verona from bloodshed. He had lost nearly everyone he had ever loved, and yet was still willing to be loyal to their betrothal. Could he be the Odysseus in her life, always fighting for her protection? And if so, could she be his Penelope, willing to wait while he gave himself in service of House Montague and Verona?  
She was pulled quite suddenly out of her musings about the current state of her life and the Odyssey by the man she had been contemplating so diligently for the past hour. 

“Well look who it is! I cannot imagine anyone I would be less likely to find around here than you, Lady Rosaline, yet here we are,” Benvolio smiled, that twinkle in his eye irritating her as he seemed to know something that she did not. 

“And why, pray tell my lord, should I not be here?” she answered, wanting to take back everything she had said in her mind about his maturity, for he could not even start a conversation with her without making some sort of stab at banter. 

“My lady, the fountain you are sitting at is on the outskirts of Montague property. Mind you, you probably won’t be faulted for it, but it is rather odd to see anyone remotely near Capulet blood here. Actually, you would probably not find any Montague here either. Except for me.” 

“Is that so?” she retaliated. “Do you often find yourself lost on your own family’s property?” 

“No, my lady. This is where I came to think after the sickness took my mother and father both,” he said, growing more somber and open by the second.

“Oh. Oh my. I am sorry, my lord, I should have never-…”

“It is alright, Rosaline, really. As my betrothed, you are more than welcome to do anything you wish here. If anyone attempts to bother you about it, have them take it up with me. Although like I said before, you really should not encounter anyone else here disturbing you with your books, your- what are you reading, anyway?” 

Rosaline was touched that he would share his most private corner of his family’s property with her. It was obvious that he still greatly disliked her, but he was giving her the benefit his betrothal and allowing her the status of a Montague bride-to-be. She was so overwhelmed that she forgot to answer Benvolio’s query, only answering when she was startled out of her thoughts by his questioning gaze, one that had been on her face far too long. 

“Oh! Pardon me, Benvolio, really. It is the Odyssey. I know men such as you most likely prefer the Iliad, with its account of the war and all that, but I quite like the adventure that Odysseus and his crew brings.” She smiled thinking of all the travels the poem had taken her on in her imagination. 

She looked back up from her contemplation to see him smiling. “Actually, my dear beloved, the Odyssey is quite my preferred choice when it comes to Homer’s epic poems. As silly as it sounds, I quite like the idea of Odysseus’ strength coming from a place to call home.”

“You mean in Penelope? Oh yes, I completely agree! The way that they are devoted to each other even throughout the hardest of separations, fully even gaining the gods’ favor to be reunited, why it is absolutely incredible! I can only wish-!” Here she broke off, for he was truly smiling now, and it was radiant. She flushed with embarrassment. She always became too giddy when speaking about her favorite literature, and now she had gone off about one of her favorite stories, tearing down her walls to her loathed fiancé himself. Yet he did not seem to belittle her for her strong opinions on the literature, but was rather encouraging and open himself. He was the one who shared a deeper opinion of the story first, after all. 

“Perhaps, if you are agreeable to these types of stories, my lady, I could lend you some of my own? I know not of the stock the Capulet library has, but I do know the Montague library like the back of my hand, and I could find some epic adventures for us to discuss further. A starting point for our life together, if you will? Literature is the cornerstone of all intelligent discussion, after all. What say you, Rosaline?” he grinned. 

Rosaline was fully cheery herself once again, something that she never thought would happen in this man’s presence. “Yes, Benvolio. I would like that very much. Thank you, truly, for thinking of me. I know this is difficult for the both of us. But perhaps literature really can be our starting point, as you say? At least we know it is something you can be civil about,” she bit at the end. 

“Just as I thought we were getting somewhere!” Benvolio joked. “But yes, my lady, I shall see what books I can find for us. Shall we meet here again in two days’ time to read together? I am sure your family would not object to you spending time with your betrothed, even though we do not intend for this to be a courtship. Call it a reprieve from the madness together, if you will.” 

“I think we can both agree we need that, my lord,” Rosaline said. This was not the end of their dislike for each other that was for certain. But it was a good start on what would hopefully lead to a successful society marriage. And if Rosaline was lucky, perhaps even a friendship. 

Although, life plans certainly never did pan out the way Rosaline wanted them to.


	2. How Does a Man Kiss His Wife?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "We're in public and have to convince people that we're in love so we're kissing now and damn you kiss really well and am I liking this???"

It happens three weeks after Prince Escalus announces their betrothal. 

Rosaline, having been spurned out of the prince’s favor most likely, had quite warmed up to Benvolio in the days spent both trying to find a way out of their marriage and also attempting to find out who was responsible for all of the fighting going on in Verona in order to turn the two families against each other forever. At least, Benvolio thought she had. She was most definitely not the frigid and angry woman she had been during the betrothal ceremony. In fact, Benvolio felt lucky enough to call her his friend, and perhaps even a dear one at that. She was clever and witty and energetic and passionate, all things he valued in a friend. They weren’t anywhere near prepared to being man and wife yet, but he thought it would not be as unbearable to marry a friend as it would be to marry an enemy. 

Of course, Lady Rosaline Capulet was gorgeous. There was no doubting that in Benvolio’s mind. Her dark curly hair and beautifully expressive eyes made him want to stop whatever he was doing and stare into them all day. Or, he would if he knew that wouldn’t get him slapped for the sheer foolishness of it all. Yet he could not stop contemplating how very attractive his newest friend was. Yet that did not necessarily mean that the marriage would be good thing. He had found plenty of women attractive without being in love with them, surely Rosaline was no different. She was just a friend. A very, very pretty friend. 

It was with this mindset that Benvolio went to go meet Rosaline at her home in order to take her to a favorite Montague aunt of his. She was the sister of his uncle and his father and had never married, despite the Montagues’ efforts to secure her hand to a powerful family. Not only was Alessandra Montague Benvolio’s favorite surviving family member, he also had a feeling she would get on quite well with Rosaline due to her independent status. After all, he would do anything to make his dear friend more comfortable in his home, and if that meant gaining her a Montague ally (other than himself), then so be it. 

On their way back to House Montague, Rosaline was uncharacteristically quiet. Benvolio, feeling more than a little worried about her well-being, asked what was wrong. 

“’Tis nothing, Benvolio, I swear it. The days at House Capulet have been tiring, is all. Now, I am quite anticipating this aunt of yours. She seems to be of solid mind and wit, something quite rare in a Montague.”

“You jest yet again, my lady,” Benvolio said jovially. “You seek to defame my house with a glimmer in your eye, yet you cannot help but find praise within you for us. Come, my beloved, Aunt Alessandra is waiting for us.”

At first glance, Alessandra Montague seemed to be a rather intimidating woman. Yet as Rosaline and Benvolio got closer to her threshold, she spread her arms widely and smiled.

“Welcome, welcome! Oh dear Benvolio, my sweet nephew, it is so good to see you. You never are around often enough anymore. And this must be Rosaline Capulet. I’ve lost many a family member to yours, my girl. But I suppose that will all be behind us once you become Lady Rosaline Montague. Ah to be young and in love again! Come, let me see you both!” Alessandra grabbed Benvolio by both cheeks and pinched them, kissing him briefly, letting go only when Benvolio yelped. She was much gentler with Rosaline, embracing her kindly as a gesture of welcome and familial loyalty. 

As manhandled as Benvolio felt around Alessandra, he truly was grateful for the little time he had with her. She was often away from the family eye, making it hard for him to see her. Since Benvolio wanted little to do with the rest of his family, this made seeing his aunt even more of a blessing. Rosaline, on the other hand, was blown away by the great lady’s kindness and bluntness. She hoped to be exactly like her when she was Alessandra’s age. Free, independent, and most importantly, unattached. She was grateful for Benvolio’s friendship, she truly was. Yet no matter how lovely he was to her, nor how lovely his eyes were, she knew she could never truly love her new friend. They were just too stubborn. 

Alessandra Montague had a rather different take on Benvolio and Rosaline’s relationship, and she was willing to do nearly anything to get them to be on their way to realizing what they had was something quite special and powerful. A public spectacle would have to do for today, she thought. Impromptu and spontaneous. Just the display that Verona needed in these dark times. With this thought, she took the children (for Benvolio and his peers would always be small to her) out to the main piazza in order to meet her acquaintances, which comprised of several gossipy older ladies of the town. 

Benvolio was not sure what Aunt Alessandra meant by taking Rosaline and him away from their private meeting to the public piazza, but he had learned long ago not to question his aunt’s methods. He was soon about to find out, however, just what his aunt had been scheming about since the moment she had met his Capulet bride. 

“Alessandra! Come over here and introduce us to these two lovely young people. It seems as though Verona’s youth has all gone and left us for good now,” one of the ladies called over to the trio. 

“It is so wonderful that you could meet us all! Ladies, this is my nephew Benvolio Montague, and his betrothed, Lady Rosaline Capulet,” Alessandra introduced them.

“Oh my, we’ve heard many things about you dear Benvolio! Look at you, you are certainly all grown up! And my goodness, your bride is lovely! I am so happy that you decided to forgo this house feud nonsense and just sweep her off her feet!” 

Benvolio gulped. “Oh, actually, signora, we-…” 

“Ah, ah, ah, there will be none of that. A man must show his future wife the pride in her that he has! None of this false modesty business. Why, I remember when my husband was courting me, he-…”

“That’s quite enough, Lady Anna, thank you,” Alessandra smirked, as if being let into a jest that was solely amongst the older women of Verona. “Why not give these young people advice for their marriage? After all, they are to be wed within the month.”

“Oh yes!” exclaimed Lady Anna. “First and foremost, before any pleasure within the marriage can be had, a man must know how to kiss his wife. It really is the most important thing.”

By this time, both Benvolio and Rosaline had gone beet red. “Lady Anna, thank you so much but this is very unnecessary-…” Rosaline said, before Lady Anna interrupted with an incredulous look.

“Nonsense, child. Do you not want to know how to gain pleasure within this marriage? Tell me, Benvolio Montague, how does a man kiss his wife?” 

“My lady, I am sure I do not know, for I have never been married,” Benvolio started.

“Also nonsense! You have been betrothed for three weeks. Back in my day, that was as good as married. Show us how to kiss your beloved, young Signor Montague.”

Not wanting to be on the end of a glare from the formidable Lady Anna or a scowl from his Aunt Alessandra, Benvolio sighed. 

“I am sorry, my sweet friend. Do you consent to this rather public display of affection?” he asked Rosaline in hushed tones as to not alert the ladies of their farcical love story. 

“I fear for our lives if we did not, Benvolio. Go ahead and kiss me, my friend. It will be no great disservice for all your faults, I do trust you,” Rosaline smiled, thinking of all they had come through to get to this point in their friendship. 

Benvolio took a deep breath. Just relax, he thought. Rosaline is your dear friend. Your very, very, very pretty friend, his mind betrayed. With a sweet smile and a nod from Rosaline, he leaned in quite slowly, and in front of Verona’s busiest piazza, kissed his intended. 

It was nothing like he had ever experienced before. His sweet friend was warm and soft and pliant, linking her fingers around his neck in order to anchor herself more fully into the kiss. He stroked her cheeks, wanting nothing more than to drown in this moment forever, asking himself why, why, why he hadn’t done this before. By all that was good in this world, she kissed incredibly well and he was quite content to enjoy himself forever. 

Oh, right. He had never done this because Rosaline was just a friend. 

Rosaline nibbled his lower lip, deepening the kiss. To hell with it, he thought, following her lead and slipping his tongue into her mouth. At this she gasped, finally breaking away from the kiss, her entire body heaving as she looked at him in utter shock. He figured that he must look quite the same. 

“Now that is how you kiss your wife, little Benvolio!” Lady Anna cackled. 

Both Rosaline and Benvolio jumped, completely forgetting that they had quite the captive audience. Lady Anna, Aunt Alessandra, and the rest of the ladies were smirking quite triumphantly, waiting for the chance to share just how in love Benvolio Montague was with Rosaline Capulet, as well as she with him. 

The rest of Verona would likely know by nightfall, considering the city’s busiest piazza had fallen deathly quiet in the wake of their quite public display of affection. 

Benvolio looked at Rosaline, wanting to melt into the ground in order to stop reddening. Rosaline could not look at him, as she was flushed in a quite similar manner. 

“Well, Benvolio? Shouldn’t you be seeing your sweet friend home?” 

Benvolio could do nothing but stare as Aunt Alessandra laughed at the success of her plan as she left with the rest of her entourage, smirking alongside Lady Anna. 

“Well then. Let us get you home, my lady,” Benvolio said, still in a daze. 

“Oh, um, yes. Yes that would be for the best, I suppose,” Rosaline countered, still unwilling to look him in the eye. 

As Benvolio walked Rosaline back to Capulet House for the day’s end, he tried to shrug off his worry. Rosaline and he were still trying to find a way to break the betrothal together. One kiss between friends surely shouldn’t disrupt the peace between them. Yes, Benvolio decided. Rosaline was and always would be his sweet friend, nothing more. 

Right?


	3. A Pretty Decent Disguise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Benvolio helps Rosaline dress as a man. Bonus points for banter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has already viewed the stories! I'm so excited to be able to write for this show and this pairing. Reviews help a ton to give this new writer some confidence! Thanks again, guys!

Benvolio Montague was quickly becoming more stressed as the night wore on. It seemed as though this was his constant state of being in the weeks leading up to his wedding. Before, this was because the woman he was to marry and he were diametrically opposed in every way possible. Lady Rosaline was not only a Capulet, but an irritable and headstrong woman at that. Bickering and stewing at every turn, it seemed as though the pair would never get along. Now however, things were different. Rosaline still drove him crazy, but in a different way. They were friends, yet every headstrong thing that she did still set him alight with irritation. This was mostly due to worry about her safety, health, and general well-being. But of course he did not mention that. Benvolio was perfectly content to let her think he was simply annoyed with her. He did not think he could quite stomach the teasing he would get from her if he was irritable simply due to his constant worry. He knew she could take care of herself. Yet when someone weaved their way into Benvolio Montague’s heart in any capacity, he worried for them no matter their capabilities. 

This was one such time in which his worry was giving way to such irritability. He was currently trying to reason with a very stubborn Lady Rosaline while still attempting to whisper, as he had incidentally climbed up her window and was in the den of vipers in order to talk to her. Her stubbornness was not helping when he was one wrong move from being flayed alive by a Capulet blade. 

“This will never work.” 

“Nonsense, Benvolio. Of course it will. And the sooner we step to this plan, the sooner we can get out of this room, and the sooner you will be able to stop nervously looking at my bedroom door as if the devil himself was about to burst forth!” Rosaline countered, her face set. 

“I am telling you, my lady, I am not helping you dress as a man in order for us to go investigating the madness in this city. For one, you will never be able to pull it off. And even if you do, the streets are still dangerous. Two of our kinsmen were slain just today, and we still do not know who was behind their deaths!”

“That is precisely why we are doing this! We have to bring peace to this city and we both know that the wedding alone isn’t going to do that. Benvolio, I will be careful, I promise. This is why I am dressing as a man. No one will know I am me. ‘Tis safer this way. And I want to help. I need to have closure for Juliet, and Romeo as well. I must do this. I must.”

Benvolio sighed. She looked so earnest and pained that he could not help but to go along with her plan of insanity. He would be lying to himself if he said he did not want to find the true aggressor in Verona in order to put his cousin at peace at last. But he was still wary of her idea of disguise. 

“Alright. Let us go on with this insane endeavor, my lady. But, I still do not think this will work.”  
“Why ever not?” Rosaline exclaimed indignantly. 

“Fair Rosaline, you are much too pretty to be a man,” he smirked. 

Benvolio knew he was in trouble when she put a smug grin on her face and had that look of mischief in her eyes, the same one that she used when telling him that she could get them out of their wedding. (They of course had abandoned all thought of not getting married, but their scheming ways were still quite present). His fears were then shortly confirmed.

“If I am too pretty to be a man Signor, then what kind of man are you?”

Benvolio had never felt so flustered in his life. Was that an insult to his manhood or a compliment to the way she found his look to be? Rosaline would never cease to confuse him. 

“I beg your pardon, my lady! I do not understand what you are trying to accomplish here, but the hour is growing late and we really should be going…” At this point, he was making any excuse to stop her from smirking at him like she had won the world over him. He begrudgingly admitted that she had won this battle of wits. 

“Let us be off, Rosaline. Quickly take these and we will see what the night has for us.”

Rosaline took his proffered tunic, hose, and doublet and went to change behind her dressing screen.

“We must scout out where this villain was seen last. He cannot be allowed to get away with the senseless destruction of Verona as he did during the betrothal ceremony-…” 

Benvolio stopped talking as Rosaline stepped out from behind the dressing screen in his borrowed clothes. He clenched his jaw and swallowed hard. There was something about her in his clothes that he could not describe. Her frame, usually accentuated with her fancy dresses, was prominently exposed in his simple tunic and pants. He found that he could not look away. She was always beautiful, but this made her beautiful in yet another way. He cursed everything under the sun. How was this plan going to work? She was much too pretty to be disguised as a man, even with her hair up in a blue ribbon in order to make her hair seem shorter. Yet all of this did not seem to matter to Rosaline as she prepared to climb down the balcony before him.

“Are you coming? Or are you going to wait for my sister to come in the morning and scream for the guards to gut you like a fish?” 

He shook himself out of his stupor. “Very funny, Rosaline. Of course I am coming. But do not say anything if this does not work. We are coming straight back here if you are even close to being identified.”

“Fear not, Montague. I can be as much a scoundrel as any Capulet man I would wager.” 

“Hmm. Let us hope that it does not come to that Capulet. I would hate to have to trade blows with you tonight, being a Montague scoundrel,” he grinned, jesting as he did when he intentionally wished to get a rise out of her. 

“Enough talk, you self-proclaimed scoundrel. Let us complete this task,” Rosaline said, in no way unsettled at his predictable barb. 

“After you, my beloved,” Benvolio gestured as they fled out into the Verona night. 

As the couple began to gather information from the more seedy characters in the fair city, Benvolio continuously worried that Rosaline would be discovered. Yet she covered her tracks well, playing the part of a nobleman a little too well, copying his steps and speech pattern so much it was almost unnerving. Benvolio was at least grateful that by the time he had returned her to her window, she had pulled off the entire ordeal while gathering important information about their villain. 

“I hope I was man enough for you tonight, Benvolio,” she smirked. 

“I do not know how we pulled that off, my lady. You are still too pretty to be a man.” 

She grinned as she came close to his side. “As I said before, Benvolio Montague,” she said, unnervingly close as she inched closer to his lips, “what kind of man does that make you?” With that, she shut the balcony windows on him, effectively bidding him good night.

It wasn’t until halfway back to the Montague palazzo that he realized that she had never given him back his clothes. It wasn’t until he hit his pillow that he decided that he didn’t particularly care.


	4. The Things He'll Do For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Benvolio and Rosaline fighting over him suddenly getting over protective when someone tries to insult Rosaline. At this point in the fake marriage they've come to respect each other sure, but he got so riled up and Ros is upset bc she can handle herself. Ben just gets flustered and may have accidentally let it slip that he actually cares about her a lot more than he lets on.

The assault upon Rosaline’s character during her walk on the Sunday after Christmas is not the first time, but she hoped to God it would be the last. 

“Capulet bitch,” the drunk man snarled at her as she was due to head home to her husband and household. “What are you still doing here in this city? Haven’t you made all of our lives miserable? You and that disgusting husband of yours. Verona has had enough of you, you little harlot!”

Never one to back down from an aggressor, Rosaline spun around, fists clenched and ready to defend herself. 

“I’ll kindly thank you not to continue assaulting the character of a person you do not even know. I have no time to waste for the likes of you. And for the record, my name is Rosaline Montague. I did marry to save this godforsaken city, if your memory is able to recall that. Good day.” 

Rosaline took absolutely no chances that the man who insulted her person would also commit violence against her, and therefore decided to run the rest of the way home. 

Little did she know that a man had been watching the exchange in the shadows of the street. This man was a servant of her husband’s, and happened to be his silent eyes and ears while his wife was in the city alone. Benvolio Montague allowed his wife her freedom like any good husband should, but he worried about her well-being and therefore used the most non-intrusive way he could think of to check up on her. 

The servant quickly ran back to the house as soon as the nasty exchange was over and asked to see Lord Benvolio right away. 

“Sir, my lord! It is your wife-!”

“What about my wife? Where is she? Is she alright? Is she hurt? Tell me, man!” 

“No, no, my lord, nothing of the sort. Lady Montague is completely sound in mind and body. However, an assailant upon her character decided not only to continue to refer to her as a Capulet but also more degrading things that I will not associate with the great lady herself. I thought that it was only right that you should know that this man was insulting your wife.”

“Thank you for this news. Any way to know who this man was?”

“Yes my lord. But, may I ask, what are you possibly going to do?”

“I’m going to make sure no one even thinks about speaking to my wife that way ever again,” Benvolio said icily. 

After the servant took his leave and the housekeeper informed him of Rosaline’s safe return, Benvolio went out into the night in order to find the drunkard who had insulted his dear wife. While they had only been married a few months, Benvolio had to admit that Rosaline was the dearest person in the world to him. Shortly after the marriage at the end of the summer they had become decent friends, working to build a life together and, at the very least, run a household of their own. In this time, Rosaline had become the embodiment of everything good in his life. She was his laughter and his joy, his sense of humor and his comfort at night. She was his sweetest friend and in time had become his greatest desire of affection, both as a friend and a true wife. Although they did not spend their time as man and wife quite yet, both Benvolio and Rosaline had solidified their friendship. 

But Benvolio felt something so much more for his wife than this. He had not told her yet (and was nervous to ever say this to her), but he was very much in love with Rosaline Montague. She was his whole world, and because of this, whoever crossed her would see his wrath. Which was why he was going to find the man who had called her such repugnant things. 

Benvolio found him soon enough. What followed, he was not necessarily proud of, but he felt justified in his rage. 

He quickly slammed the man against the nearest wall and held him there. “I do not know who you are or what family you claim to represent, but hear me now. If you ever insult or threaten my wife again, I can assure you it will be the last thing you do. Do you understand me?” 

By this time, the man was turning slightly purple. “Yes, yes my lord, I am so sorry, forgive me please!” 

“The next time you shall not be so lucky. The next time, I will take you to the prince.” 

“Not man enough to take me yourself, Montague?”

Benvolio snorts. This man is not worth any of their time. “No. I simply cannot be bothered to upset my wife by returning to her a mess because of the likes of you.” He then turns around and walks away, heading home to a job (he thought) well done. 

Rosaline is waiting up for him when he returns. By the look on her face, she is not quite pleased with him. 

“Where have you been? The page boy told me everything he told you. Please do not tell me you went after that scoundrel of a man.” 

Benvolio looked down. “He was insulting your honor my lady. As your husband-.”

“As my husband you are not to decide what I feel about my honor being insulted! I am my own person, I belong to nobody! I can handle myself, Benvolio Montague, and you know this. I had the situation well in hand. You think those insults mean anything to me anymore? No. How can you do this? You know that I am capable of being my own voice.”

“Rosaline, of course you are, no one is saying that you are not-.”  
“And yet you still saw fit to challenge someone for me! I am not a child, Benvolio, I am not a thing. I can take care of myself! Why, oh why-!”

“YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO!” Benvolio burst out. Rosaline stepped back in shock. In all the time she had known him, he had never raised his voice so. “I am sorry, Rosaline. You should not have to rely on yourself all of the time. I know, I know that you were on your own with just your sister when your parents died, but believe you me, you are not on your own now. I am your husband. I am your family. It is my honor to defend you at all cost.”

Rosaline was still upset. “You could have been seriously injured or even killed! What happens when you do not come back because you challenged someone who slandered our family’s name? What do I do then, Benvolio? I am not worth your life.”

“Yes. Yes you are. Rosaline Montague, you are worth a million of my lives. The things that I will do for you know no bounds. I know that we have been happy to call each other friend for the time we have been married. I know you that you only consider me to be your friend, and that is alright. But you, my dearest beloved wife, are so much more to me than that. You are my best friend. You will be my partner in all things for the rest of my life. You will be the mother of my children. Most of all, you will be the woman I love.” 

“Benvolio,” Rosaline breathed. “I-I cannot believe you feel this way. I did not think you held such vast affection for one you could barely tolerate at the beginning of this entire endeavor.”

“I do not think that I meant to say that all aloud,” Benvolio said sheepishly, completely flustered by his honest outburst to his wife. “But I do mean every word, Rose. You are my angel.”

Instead of answering him, she kissed him. Lightly at first, and then stronger as their feelings poured out, bringing up months of unspoken words in one moment. Benvolio lifted her up and took her to the room they shared and proceeded to simply hold her in his arms. Rosaline’s head found the crook of her husband’s neck, and feeling secure, she dozed off to sleep. Benvolio looked down and his sleeping wife and laughed. 

“Sleep well, my beloved. We will talk more in the morning.” 

And with that, he pulled back the covers on the bed, tucked his wife in, and fell asleep beside her, smiling and knowing that his marriage would not be a loveless one, but one where he would do anything to make his wife happy, healthy, and loved.


	5. The House That Built Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "She's your child before the sun fully rises. Now you two get away and leave me to sleep."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 5am. I really need to sleep. Please enjoy and let me know what ya think! :)

Rosaline Montague considered herself to be a lucky woman. 

It hadn’t always been that way. In fact, three years ago she had been subjected to the greatest upheaval that she had ever experienced in her life. One day she had been a Capulet girl under her horrid aunt’s thumb, the next she had risen as Lady Rosaline of House Capulet, betrothed to Benvolio Montague, heir to the seat of her family’s long-standing rival. She was sure during that time that her life was over. She would never marry the man she loved, and she would never get to be free as she wished to be. 

Yet as the wedding came and went, something changed. Rosaline and Benvolio became kinder to each other, attempting to build their lives in harmony with one another in order to set a precedent for a peaceful Verona. They quickly became friends and equal marriage partners. It was with this mutual trust achieved that Rosaline quickly set out to learn all that there was to know in order to become Lady Montague. It was through this time of learning and living that she fell in love with her husband, and he with her. 

It was quite a shock to find out nearly six months after their wedding day that Rosaline was pregnant. They had done their marital duty on their wedding night and several times afterward, but the two did not necessarily perceive themselves to be in love quite yet. However, when Rosaline learned of this news, she did not consider it a burden to tell her husband. She was quite nervous though, and it was not until she told Benvolio that she was with child and he teared up that she was happy alongside him. The two new lovers and spouses were now preparing to take on another role as parents, hoping to be like the example their parents had set before they had died, and not their most recent caretakers. 

Roughly eight months later, after twenty two hours of grueling labor in which Benvolio feared for his wife’s life, Giovanna Juliet Montague was born. Rosaline’s tiny daughter took after her in many looks, although her hair was most definitely Benvolio’s. She was a treasure, and before Rosaline passed out of exhaustion from the labor she cried, so incredibly happy that she had made this wonderful life with the man she had come to honor, respect, and cherish. Benvolio, to his credit, also cried the moment he saw his daughter and swore that no one would ever be able to tear him away from her side. He would protect her always while still fostering her healthy growth, as his parents attempted to do before they were so cruelly taken from him. Rosaline also promised to raise her daughter the way that her parents had taught her and Livia in order to give her the best possible chance at a happy life in a dangerous world. 

Nearly two years after Giovanna’s birth, the little family had settled into their private life in Verona. Lords Montague and Capulet were angry at them for not birthing the families a son and heir, but Rosaline could not honestly care less. She loved her daughter not for political gain but for the love she had brought into her and Benvolio’s lives. Now at two years old, the little girl babbled about everything, and was not only learning how to walk alongside her mother while running the household, but she was also learning how to sing and hold the wooden sword her father had gifted her for her birthday (much to his wife’s chagrin). She was the light of their lives, and Rosaline was so proud of how smart and kind her little girl was.   
Some days, however, were more challenging than others. Being only two years old, Giovanna did not always behave. This exhausted Rosaline, and made her feel like a failure of a mother. Benvolio reassured his wife that this was not true, yet proceeded to always help her by taking hold of his daughter’s discipline. He would explain that while she was being naughty, he and her mother still loved her very much and wanted her to be good in order to be the happiest she could be in her life. Yet even with strong discipline, Giovanna was still an exhausting child without meaning to be. 

The night before last, Giovanna had woken up screaming when a rare thunderstorm had rolled through Verona. Being only two years old, she did not understand what was happening and cried until her parents took her into their bed in order to comfort her. Rosaline assured her husband that she could get the girl to sleep and saw him drift off shortly afterward. She then sighed, hoping to settle her daughter down.

“Sleep Giovanna, my darling. ‘Tis only a storm. It will pass soon enough, I promise. Nothing can get you as long as your papa and I are with you.”

Giovanna continued to fuss at the storm for another few hours before drifting off to sleep alongside her parents. All was well, it seemed, until daybreak occurred and sunlight filtered through the windows just so Giovanna woke up, well-rested and ready to play. 

“Mama, mama wake up wake up! There’s no more scary storm! Time to play, time to play, time to plaaaaaaay!” 

Rosaline groaned. She was exhausted, couldn’t this child see that? 

Of course not. She was two. 

Her husband woke with a start. 

“Giovanna, principessa, ‘tis not even fully light out. Go back to sleep. Let your mother rest, it was a long night,” Benvolio told his daughter. 

“No, no papa play! Play pirates!”

Benvolio groaned. Perhaps it was a mistake to show Giovanna the wooden weapons in the house. It only caused her to be much too excitable at this time in the morning. He desperately needed the sleep, due to the fact that his uncle had him running around Verona for nearly a week for business, and he was sick of it. Yet however tired he was feeling, Rosaline was feeling much more exhausted. Giovanna had been incredibly restless the past several nights, and Rosaline had been feeling unwell on top of all of that. It had been quite a long week for the Montague parents in general. 

When Benvolio attempted to go back to bed, Giovanna decided to bother her mother again instead. 

“Come on, mama! Papa is being silly. Can you play pirates?”

Rosaline was at her wits end due to exhaustion from the night before. She loved her daughter dearly, but she simply could not function without more sleep today. They were supposed to be hosting a dinner tonight in order to welcome Benvolio’s new business associates from Venice, and she could not be mistress of this household without a few extra hours of rest. 

Therefore, she shook her husband awake and said, “She’s your child before the sun fully rises. Now you two get away and leave me to sleep.” 

Benvolio smirked at his wife, knowing that she was much more tired than he. 

“But of course, my beloved. We will indeed let you have all the time you need before strange people invade our home once more.” 

“Benvolio Montague! Your uncle is not a stranger. He may be strange, yes, but you cannot just say that in front of Giovanna.” 

“Fear not, dear wife! We shall be making a pirate’s lair well out of the way of your warpath. Come along, my darling, you can pick up the longer sword this time, I promise.”

As her husband and daughter left the room, Rosaline smiled sleepily. Benvolio always knew exactly what she needed, and he never was one to deny her anything. With that, she curled into the pillow he had just vacated in order to gain the warmth he had left behind. Breathing in his scent, she curled up into a deep sleep once more. 

Yes, Rosaline Montague was a lucky woman indeed.


	6. Run to Start Living

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: super happy & in love, so they run away and elope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight spoilers for the book. Very vague, but just a warning in case you're staying away from all that!

After the violence, the bloodshed, and everything else that had ended in the cursed city of Verona, Rosaline Capulet was more than happy to try and achieve some peace and quiet at last. The royal army, alongside the men of the Houses Montague and Capulet, had soundly defeated the invading army of Mantua and the entire city was rejoicing in their unification by standing strong as a powerful force once more. The only one that seemed to not be celebrating was Rosaline herself. 

She had won some, but she had also lost much. The battle had destroyed nearly everything she held dear, yet she held strong through it all. Rosaline was sick of being strong all the time. After everything that had happened, she just wanted to lay down and weep for everything that would never be the same. Her beloved cousin Juliet had been gone for over a year. Verona’s dearest sons Romeo and Mercutio had gone alongside her. Livia would never be the same again. Although she was incredibly relieved to be leaving the city that seemed to be her prison, her sister was still incredibly somber when she left Verona a fortnight ago with the Princess Isabella in order to become her personal companion during the royal’s new marriage in Spain. At least there, Rosaline could be assured of Livia’s eventual happiness. Everyone else was dead or changed, it seemed. Even the Montagues, once enemies, were some of her family’s greatest confidants in the days after the battle. She frequently saw her uncle and Lord Damiano in hushed conversation on how best to retain protection of the city, strengthening the Capulet and Montague alliance even further. 

Through all of this chaos, Rosaline had one solid rock to fall back on. While her family was making new acquaintances with the Montagues, she had grown to love one of her own. Her fiancé Benvolio Montague had not come out of the battle unscathed, but he had come out alive, and for that she was so grateful. What started out as a reluctant arranged betrothal formed into a respectful friendship and more recently, quite a strong mutual love. 

Benvolio Montague was Rosaline’s greatest surprise. He was everything that she could have ever hoped for in a life partner. Yet because of his name and their circumstance, this buildup of trust took a great while to achieve. Rosaline realized as they became closer friends how similar she and Benvolio were and how much she enjoyed his company. He was kind, intelligent, respectful, passionate, and lively; all qualities she admired. However, it was the way that he listened and trusted her that truly caused her to fall in love with him. 

All these things were going through Rosaline’s mind as she went to meet Benvolio at the Montague palazzo. She could not stand her family’s madness now that Livia had gone and wished to confront Benvolio fully about what they should do now that Verona was united and their betrothal called off, as neither of them actually wanted their betrothal called off. She smiled as she approached the gates and saw him standing there waiting for her, trademark smirk upon his face as she made her way up the steps toward him. 

“Hello, love. The day is new and the sun is out. How do you fare?” 

“Well enough, Signor Benvolio. Grateful that the battle is over. And you? Do you fare well after fighting so much?” Rosaline replied in a pinched manner. She had been so worried for him when he had not come to her right after the battle, only to find that he had been held up by the prince in order to give him counsel. 

“I am better now that I have seen your face my darling.” Benvolio said seriously, all sign of his smile leaving his face. “Verona is safe, our families are no longer making war, and you are here with me. That is all that matters.”

“Benvolio, we aren’t betrothed anymore. We are free to do whatever we wish, you know that, do you not?”

“Who says we have to be betrothed to get married? Fair Rosaline, will you do the honor of becoming my wife in truth this time? No games, no political alliance, no feuding houses. Just you and a man who loves you very much.” 

“Benvolio. Oh my darling. Yes, yes I would like that very much. But when? How? The city is in chaos, it could take months in order to be able to begin to plan something as big as a wedding between our houses once again!” 

“Who says we have to do this in Verona?”

“You’re not suggesting we away and elope, are you Montague?” 

Benvolio smiled. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Capulet?” 

_______

Benvolio and Rosaline left Verona that night. Friar Laurence may have left the city after all of the madness, but he owed them a favor, and having him marry them seemed to be the perfect solution. 

“Are you sure this is what you want, Benvolio? Lady Rosaline? I do not think that your families would be happy to know-.”

“Our families have ordered us about enough. Look where that got us. Friar, we have grown in the past year to be friends and in love. I trust Lady Rosaline with my life, and my life is what I shall spend with her. I would not have it any other way.” Benvolio stated firmly. He’d had enough people telling him what to do with his heart. Now he could fully promise to marry a woman he loved. He would not let go of that dream.

“Alright, then. Join together with myself and God as your witnesses.”

And so the two families became one once more. 

After, when Benvolio had taken his own dear Lady Montague to a nearby inn to celebrate their wedding night, Rosaline smiled sleepily up at him. 

“Are you happy, Montague? Are you truly happy in this moment with me, no matter what we face back in Verona?”

“My dearest Lady Montague, I am the happiest I have been in a good long while, and it is all due to you. May we be together in that city for better or worse until the day comes where we are old and gray, surrounded by the many children that come from this happiness.” 

“Good. Go to sleep, husband. Tomorrow we must tell all of the ladies in Verona that they missed out on the gossip of the biggest wedding they would have seen in years.”

Benvolio laughed at that. “Always the plotter, Rosaline. Good night, my love.” 

Sure, they may face scrutiny back in Verona, but wasn’t this what was going to happen anyway? And besides, it would be even better for the city now that they were actually in love, Benvolio thought. For now, however, he was too tired to think about his marriage in relation to politics. He simply wanted to roll over and hold his new wife. He was a lucky man to have actually have won her affections, regardless of the amount of times she said she was a luckier woman to have let him into her heart. With that thought, and a smile upon his face, Benvolio Montague fell asleep next to his bride with not a care in the world written on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a little tough to write and I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with it. Thank you so much to all of you guys who have left reviews so far! It really helps, especially with chapters like this one, to get that kind of feedback.


	7. Ros' Raphael

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Paint Night Date (with the other characters if you want): Rosaline is a little jealous her painting isn't as good as Benvolio's (modern AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've written one of these you guys! Hopefully tonight I'll be back on track. For now, have some modernverse!Rosvolio in their little town of Verona, Iowa.

“Come on, Ros! This is the best date night I’ve ever planned. Even Romeo says so. You and Ben have to join us.”

“Juliet, its Romeo. You could literally say you wanted to bang sticks together for a date and he would be on board in three seconds. The fact that you used him as an example for this idea is not encouraging.” 

“Rosaline, please, please, please! You know it would make me so happy.”

“Argh! There’s never a no with you, is there?”

“Oh you know you love me, dearest cousin of mine.”

That Rosaline did. Love Juliet that is. Of course she wasn’t as dear to her as her little sister Livia, but Juliet was still extremely close to both of the sisters. When Rosaline and Livia’s parents died in a horrible car accident, the girls went to go live with their Capulet family, a tense situation made much better by Juliet’s kindness. She was a headstrong girl, and as her parents’ only child, she often won her arguments with them. 

This is why, at the ripe young age of 18, Juliet was living with Rosaline and Livia in their own apartment. Rosaline loved it. She could live with her dearest cousin and sister and be away from her less-than-sympathetic uncle and aunt. Juliet’s independence was a great thing, to be sure. Yet to Rosaline it was often nerve-wracking. This independence and stubbornness is what led Juliet to her current, very serious boyfriend Romeo Montague. Rosaline loved the kid, she did, but that family sometimes was more trouble than it was worth. 

Of course, there was absolutely nothing she could say to Juliet about that, considering she was dating Romeo’s cousin herself. It would be a tad hypocritical, except for Rosaline refused to associate with Montagues on principle, Benvolio and Romeo notwithstanding. Was this an odd tactic to take? Probably. Did Rosaline care? Not particularly. She saw Ben and his cousin as great exceptions to the power-hungry family they came from, which was particularly a good thing considering they were the future of the Montague family. Perhaps this weird feud between the two families would die out with the younger generations, especially considering how close the Capulet girls were with the Montague boys. 

So close, in fact, that Juliet insisted on double dates. Most of the time, Rosaline didn’t mind. Juliet planned fun things most of the time, her research-driven brain finding the best restaurants, bars, and other activities in Verona, which was a feat in itself considering it was such a small American town. However, Rosaline was not too jazzed about the idea of paint night, which was the newest idea that Juliet had for their double dates. This brought Rosaline’s train of thought back to her original objections to the idea. 

“Paint Night? Really Jule? I’m absolute shit at art. You and Romeo wouldn’t even be able to finish the painting because you’d be laughing so hard at my work.”  
“Girl, you know the only person’s opinion you care about in this scenario is Ben’s. And he’s not going to care.”

“Of course he’s going to care!” Rosaline sputtered, “He’s literally going to school for architecture and civil engineering! The man wants to design gorgeous buildings and bridges for a living! How the hell can I compete with that? And why are you laughing?” 

Juliet was wheezing for breath at this point. “Oh honey, if you really think Ben is going to compare your art with his you really need to reevaluate how much you think you know your boyfriend.” Rosaline frowned. She knew that Ben would never laugh at her or try to demean her ability to do anything, but it was intimidating to have such a skilled partner no matter what they were good at. 

Juliet sighed. “Look, Ros. He loves you. And he loves art. I chose this night because I pick so much of what us girls like all the time that I thought it might be time for the guys to be a little more in their element, and I thought that Ben would really like this. If you don’t wanna go, fine, but I think it’ll be a good experience for you guys.”

Rosaline privately agreed with her cousin. “Okay, Jule. I’ll do it. But you owe me at least ten dollars if he laughs in any way.” Juliet just laughed and shook her head as they continued to get ready to meet the boys at the art shop downtown. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

An hour into paint night, everything that Rosaline feared would happen was happening. They were supposed to be following the artist of the night, Timothy, in painting a wine glass with some grapes. Unfortunately Rosaline’s grapes looked like The Blob and her wine glass looked more like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 

“How do you mess up a copy of art that badly Ros?” Juliet was cackling. Rosaline glared at her cousin. Of all people to make fun of her ability, Juliet was not the person who had right to, considered she was the one who dragged her out here anyway. 

“Jules, come on, leave her alone. It’s her first time out. I’m certainly not doing any better.” Ros grinned at Romeo, who was very self-deprecating in his defense of her. It was this attitude that made her love Juliet’s boyfriend so much. He was just a decent kid. 

“Thanks, Romeo, I appreciate it. Yours does seem to have a bit more shape than mine does though.”

“Ah well, it’s alright for us novices. I don’t think my cousin has said a word since he’s started his own painting,” Romeo said with a grin on his face. 

Romeo was right. Benvolio had been in super-serious mode ever since he came to the art shop. He was determined to get every stroke and every color exactly right because it mattered to him. What should have been a double date ended up being the three of them goofing off while Benvolio stared at his canvas all night. Rosaline wasn’t ashamed to admit that not only was she jealous of his painting, but she was also jealous of his painting. 

“Go on and give him a piece of your mind, Ros! You’re the second loveliest woman in here, and your boyfriend needs to get his head out of his ass…or his art, I guess.” 

Rosaline rolled her eyes at Romeo, but went over to her boyfriend as he suggested. 

“Ben? You doing alright?”

“Oh! Shit, Ros, you startled me. How is everyone?” 

Rosaline looked unimpressed. “You haven’t said barely a word to anyone the entire night. Everyone has had at least a half a bottle of wine by now and are just laughing at their paintings. But no, you have to go and be a perfectionist.”

Benvolio grinned at his girlfriend sheepishly. “I know I get carried away in my art sometimes, love. But I promise I wasn’t intending on ignoring you. I just knew I had to paint the wine glass a little more intricately than was called for. Look, Ros! I painted your face on it!”

Rosaline gasped. So he had. This was what he spent all night concentrating on? If there was one thing she couldn’t deny, it was her boyfriend’s raw talent for the fine arts. 

“Benvolio Montague. You did not have to do this for me. It’s so lovely, but you didn’t have to dedicate your whole night to it. This was just supposed to be a fun and silly outing for the four of us.”

“Ros, I wanted to do this! It’s alright, love, really! Now that I’m done I’ll join the little ones and you in the fun, I promise.”

Rosaline rolled her eyes. “You know they’re not that much younger than us.”

Benvolio just laughed in response. “Shall we?”

“We shall. Thank you, Ben. You are a lovely human when you put your mind to it.” Rosaline didn’t say that this was nearly all of the time, she certainly didn’t want to be the one to inflate his ego.

“Never say that I don’t love you Ros!” Benvolio joked.

She laughed, then smiled warmly up at the man she had so come to adore. No, his love for her was pretty solid. She thought they’d be alright, especially if they had a thousand nights just like this to share.


	8. Twister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Tornado in Verona, Iowa. They've gotta hide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Coming from a state in the U.S. considered to be in tornado alley, a lot of this story comes from personal experience with the storms, in case anyone was curious.

“We have watches currently for Jones, Lee, Iowa, Jefferson, Johnson, Linn, Black Hawk, and Scott Counties in Iowa, which puts us at nearly the entire southeastern half of the state under conditions favorable to produce a tornado later this evening. Of course this puts Verona at risk so stay inside and stay alert, folks! Tornado season is officially upon us, so keep up with us on our 24-hour Doppler radar in order to catch storms before they catch you.”

Rosaline turned off the TV with a sigh. Now that it was well into April, Tornado Alley was officially at the beginning of the storm season, making announcements like the one she had just heard nearly a weekly occurrence. Her state was a hotbed of tornadic activity, that’s for sure, but she’d only really seen funnel clouds in her life. But, like every good Iowan, she was always prepared for the worst during the spring and summer months. That’s why she made sure that the apartment that her, her sister Livia, and her cousin Juliet had rented out had a basement in order to hide in when the weather got particularly nasty. Just like it might tonight. However, the girls were out for the night at Juliet’s boyfriend’s house and she had the apartment to herself. 

She smiled as she amended that statement in her mind. Not quite to herself, as her boyfriend Benvolio had decided to come over and help her cook dinner while the girls were away. It was something that they liked to do for a little peace and quiet. Much as they loved their cousins, Romeo and Juliet could be a bit boisterous, and Livia (bless her) was no different. Therefore, it was nice to have a simple evening at the apartment while everyone else was away. 

“What’s on the menu tonight, love?” Rosaline asked. Talented as she was at many things, she was no cook. Benvolio on the other hand, was quite the master chef, adding the culinary arts to the list of arts that he could be much better at than the average person. 

“It’s Taco Tuesday, Ros! Which means I decided to try three different sauces with chicken, fish, and ground beef, just to see what tasted right with which protein.”

“You’re ridiculous. Most people would just pick up generic red sauce and stuff some ground beef in a shell.”

“I may be ridiculous, but you do love me. Come on, Ros no don’t-!” Benvolio was interrupted by his lovely girlfriend shoving sour cream and guacamole onto his cheeks. Rather than get mad, however, he just laughed and wiped it away. “You do love me, I knew it!”

“And don’t you forget it. Now, let’s eat, I’m starving and neither Juliet nor Livia would stop talking about their plans for tonight at Romeo’s.” Benvolio laughed at this, understanding exactly what Rosaline meant by the younger girls’ mindless chatter. Looking at each other with content, they began to eat the ridiculously fancy tacos. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After dinner, Benvolio and Rosaline were snuggled on Rosaline’s couch drinking wine and catching each other up on their day. It was a perfect night, just the two of them, with no interruptions or catastrophes to play ‘mom and dad’ to. 

Or so they thought. 

At around seven that evening Rosaline felt the atmosphere change. Being a native Iowan, she understood how the Midwest’s weather patterns worked and how quickly a storm could come on. April was notorious for thunderstorms in Verona, therefore she paid very little mind to the obviously impending rain that was about to happen. Benvolio, also aware of the weather change, thought to bring it up anyway. 

“Storm’s comin’” he murmured sleepily. “The girls tell you they were safe at Romeo’s?”

“Ben, they’re fine. Besides, rain like this happens all the time here, don’t get worried. You always get worried this time of year but it’s alright, we’ll be fine, I promise.”

No sooner had the words come out of Rosaline’s mouth that the sirens for the city went off. She bolted upright in panic. No matter how many times sirens had gone off in her years growing up, she still felt the unmistakable pull of needing to spring into action that instant, for that siren could only mean one thing. Tornado warning. 

Benvolio, also worried, quickly turned on the TV. “At approximately 7:05pm Central Daylight Time, a tornado was detected to have touched down 20 miles southwest of Verona in Scott County. As of now, the county is officially under a tornado warning and all residents of the county are advised to seek shelter immediately. This storm is fast moving and scheduled to hit Verona and the surrounding area at approximately 7:30pm. Again, all residents of Scott County are to seek shelter immediately.”

Rosaline and Benvolio froze for about five seconds, then quickly reverted into crisis mode. Looking out the window, both were horrified to see the sky ugly black and purple to the west. In town, all of the trees had eerily settled down from the wind and the sky had turned a strange yellow-green directly above Verona. 

“Run, run! Get to the basement, come on! Do you have what you need? Can you contact the girls and my cousin? Make sure they’re in a safe place and I’ll make sure we have what we need for the trip down.”

Benvolio was certainly efficient in crisis mode if not anything else, and for that Rosaline was grateful. He had always been wary of storms, but anytime he was caught in one with her was when he seemed to worry the most. Rosaline couldn’t say she wasn’t touched by this affection this man had for her and her safety, but she knew that she had to pull her own weight in this situation. Whipping out her phone, she called Livia, as she was most likely to be the most levelheaded in the current atmosphere. 

“Livia? Liv are you there? Are you guys somewhere safe?” 

“Yes, yes we’re fine Ros, Romeo has a basement, and Juliet and I are there now with him. Go hide if you haven’t already, you and Benvolio go now! It’s supposed to be really bad.”

“Thank you for telling me, hon. Stay safe. I’ll call when this blows over.”

Rosaline hung up the phone just as Benvolio rounded the corner of the apartment with blankets and pillows for the shelter hall in the basement. Exiting the apartment and locking the door behind them, they made their way to the basement. 

The time spent waiting out a tornado can be a long one, even if only merely minutes pass. Rosaline felt like the whole world must be ending every time she had to hide in the dark basement that provided them the safest shelter. The wind was howling by the time Benvolio and she had huddled in the corner of the basement with blankets wrapped around them. The wind got louder and louder and louder until it seemed as though a freight train was plowing through the neighborhood. Everything was screeching and wailing and Rosaline and Benvolio looked at each other with panicked eyes, just willing for the storm to stop. Louder and louder and louder and louder and then-…

Quiet. Rosaline lifted her head up to look at her boyfriend. With a tremble in her voice she asked, “Is it over? Do you think it’s safe to go up?”

Benvolio strained. “Sounds like it. But we should be careful.”

The scene that greeted them was devastating. The entire neighborhood looked like a bomb had decimated the trees and roofs and even some of the houses and apartments. Rosaline and Benvolio could do nothing but stare in shock as the police and other emergency rescuers did all they could to make sure everyone was safe and sound. 

“Rosaline!” A relieved gasp rose up from down the street. Livia Capulet and her cousin Juliet came running to her, Romeo Montague not trailing far behind them. “Thank goodness you’re okay! The storm, the apartment, what are we gonna do?” 

“Shh Liv, it’s alright. We’re all safe and here and alive. That’s what matters.”

Rosaline looked to her sister and her cousin, and then to her boyfriend and his cousin. She was so grateful that they had all made it through the storm well and whole. She couldn’t imagine her life without these amazing people by her side. The coming days would be hard for Verona’s little farm community. But Rosaline knew if she had her family by her side, they could get through anything. That’s what matters, she thought, as Benvolio hugged her to his side. That’s what matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this one took so long to get out to you all! I hope this dash of suspense, angst, and fluffiness makes up for it!


	9. Giovanna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benvolio's introspection at the birth of his daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm alive! Still had a couple of prompts in the old tumblr inbox that I wanted to answer before another year passed (Sorry!) Hope you all still enjoy, even after all this time!

His wife had been screaming for 15 hours, 30 minutes, and 27 seconds. But he certainly wasn’t counting. No, instead Benvolio had been wearing the floors of their house by pacing for about 13 of those hours. It was safe to say that Benvolio Montague was extremely worried about not only his wife, but also about the babe she was to bear. 

Nearly nine months ago, Rosaline had come timidly to him in order to tell him the news. He remembered being on guard immediately, as his wife was always brave, never afraid to tell him anything. It was one of the things that he grew to love about her after their marriage had been arranged. Therefore, he remembers the entire encounter with a modicum of shock, as both his wife and the news she had for him were both very strange concepts indeed. 

“Benvolio, I have something I would say to you.”

“My dear flower, you know you mustn’t be afraid to tell me anything you wish,” Benvolio said jokingly. Seeing that his wife’s severe countenance had not changed, his face softened. “Come now, love, what is it? Whatever is wrong I am sure we can figure out together.”

Rosaline took a deep breath before she turned to face her husband. “Benvolio, I am with child. I have suspected for over two weeks, but the midwife came while you were away on Saturday and confirmed it.” Rosaline paused here, bracing for his negative reaction. 

“Rosaline! We are to be parents? Oh bless this day! ‘Tis the best day we have had in some time. I am so happy! So very very happy!”

“You are not angry? We are newly in love, and even still not long married. I thought perhaps you wanted time with just me before a babe came to us,” Rosaline worried.

“No, no Rosaline. I love you so much. I will love this babe just as much. Whether it be our heir or our precious little girl.” 

Reassured of her husband’s enthusiasm, Rosaline threw herself into planning for the baby, and Benvolio was right alongside her, planning the nursery, arranging for tutors and nurses, and most of all, making sure Rosaline’s midwife was the best in all Verona. But nothing could have prepared him for the future, when an early labor resulted in an harrowing birth for his wife, which he worried could mean nothing good for his little family. 

“Oh God, oh God! Please, please Valentina make it stop, why is this happening?” Rosaline screamed. As Benvolio had noted, she had passed into the 16th hour of her labor, and the child’s head still had not crowned. Rosaline was in much pain, and the midwife could do nothing but coach her on and beg her not to give up. The birthing was always hardest for the first time mothers, but occasionally there would be a troublesome birth, and this was one of them. Rosaline could not get the babe to drop and crown, yet she was losing too much blood in her struggle, making her weaker and weaker as time went on. 

Benvolio continued to pace and fret, wondering why as soon as he and Rosaline were happy, something threatened to take away their happiness. Perhaps it would be permanent this time, he thought broodingly, as he stood to lose his wife and child in this ordeal. Even now, when he could not be with her, he felt pain to his heart whenever the pains of her labor became too much for her to keep inside. 

More screaming came from within their chamber, and Benvolio could take it no more. He burst into the room just as Valentina screeched that he could not be in the birthing chamber. 

“Dammit woman this is my wife! And will not have her go through this alone. Her sister has been delayed by her belligerent family again, there is no reason she should labor without any family around her.”

“Fine, fine Signor Benvolio! But come at your own risk. Your wife is fading due to the blood loss, and this babe will not crown.” 

“Then I shall be with her through every step. If I cannot take on the pain she has, I will be with her.”

With that, Benvolio rushed to his wife’s side. “How now, my dear. You’ve been so strong darling. Just a bit more, then we’ll be done and we can be a family. How does that sound?”

“Benvolio? It’s too much, it is. The babe, it isn’t coming! Why won’t it come? What have I done wrong?”

“Nothing. You’ve done everything right my love. Just lean on me, and we shall get through this together.”

So Benvolio watched with an anxious heart as he steadied his wife’s body as the next round of her labor began. It was nearly seven hours later, during the twenty-second hour of Rosaline’s labor that Valentina screeched that the babe’s head was finally crowning. At this point, Rosaline was embattled but empowered, a goddess in her own right as she worked to bring their newest family member into the world. 

“Rosaline you are doing so well! You are almost there love. Valentina says the head is almost here!”

“Aaaaaaah! Come onnnnnnn!” Rosaline screamed through the pain as Valentina yelled in triumph as the babe’s shoulders followed the head and neatly landed into her waiting arms. 

A new cry then joined the organized chaos of the Lord and Lady Montague’s bedchamber. The babe was finally born. Benvolio was happy that its lusty cry was healthy and strong, and reassured of the midwife’s competence, his attention turned toward his wife. 

“Rosaline, tell me true. Are you alright? The blood, I mean- the birth was so very long.” 

“I am alright. I am just tired. Valentina said that the blood was not so bad as she thought. It was just a hard labor. Longer than usual as well. It was frightening, Benvolio. But I am alright. Ask Valentina for the child, please?”

Benvolio looked to the midwife, who smiled at him. “My lord, welcome your wee daughter.”

The newest Montague child gurgled sleepily after the grueling ordeal of her birth, and Benvolio could only look on in awe. She was beautiful and perfect, everything he had ever dreamed that she would be. His uncle would most likely be disappointed that she was not the boy needed for an heir, but Benvolio let that lie for another day. The newest little Lady Montague was here. 

Benvolio handed his daughter to his wife, who looked adoringly onto her sweet face. “Hello, my love. You are finally here. We were worried you would never come after all of that. But here you are. What shall you be called?” 

Benvolio smiled on. “My dear lady wife, it is up to you to give her a Christian name. I can handle her second name, if you wish.”

Rosaline laughed. “I do wish it. She is to be Giovanna, firstly. My sweet babe.” 

“Alright then. Then I have the perfect addition. Hello, Giovanna Juliet Montague.”

Rosaline gasped. “Benvolio! Are you sure? My little cousin…Jule, oh my goodness. You do me a great kindness, husband.” 

“Anything for you darling. And of course, anything for this little one. Giovanna Montague, you certainly have quite the life on your tiny hands.”

The newest Lady Montague slept on while her parents watched over her that first night. Benvolio was correct in the fact that Giovanna’s life was to be filled with epic adventure, sweeping romance, and loving family. But for now, it is simpler to say that Giovanna had two parents that loved her, a house full of warmth, and a good strong name to carry her through all the days of her life. 

With that thought clearing his mind, Benvolio sat content as the two most important women in his life slept on.


End file.
